Hermione was sitting on the sofa next to Ron. Harry and Ginny were playing exploding snap on the living room rug. Molly and Fleur were finishing up dinner preparations. When her heart literally stopped and she sat up, clutching her stomach. It was a feeling she hadn't felt in a year, nor had she realized she was missing it, not since she'd been spending her nights with Fred. She looked past Ron, who was eyeing her suspiciously, and at the back door which swung open.
"Hello, family." Charlie said cheerfully. He looked right at her, a small smile of relief at being near her crossed his features.
"Oh Charlie!" Molly dropped her spoon on the counter and rushed to him, throwing her arms around his shoulders. Ginny hopped up and ran to him too. Charlie hugged his mother and sister tightly and chuckled.
Ron turned back to glare at Hermione and flared his nostrils in disgust, raising a brow. She ignored him and turned forward, tucking her shaking hands under her armpits. Harry looked cautiously between her and Charlie. He hadn't seen them together since knowing about the bond.
She heard Molly commenting about his hair length, and then introducing him to Fleur, his new soon to be sister in law. "you're just in time for dinner! Here, take this out and help your father with the tables. You three, come get a platter." She directed the last toward her, Harry and Ron in the living room.
Molly handed things out to everyone else first, when they all walked out of the kitchen she turned to Hermione with a stack of plates. "Dear, I'm not exactly sure how to go about this now. You're of age, of course. But that doesn't mean we can't help you still. We can keep you apart if you'd like, we can find Charlie a room elsewhere, if you would feel more comfortable. It wouldn't be suspicious to anyone. There are so many of us here. And only so many rooms and beds available. Just tell me what you want and what you need. We will make it happen." She said quietly to Hermione, squeezing her elbow affectionately.
Hermione swallowed, trying to calm her racing heart. "Thank you, Mrs Weasley. I'm sure it will be fine. With so many of us here, and only a few days left and so much to do before the wedding. I'll let you know if anything changes." Hermione attempted to sound sure of herself.
"Alright dear, you be sure and let me know." Molly patted her arm and let her go, watching her with obvious concern.
Hermione walked out into the yard, where Arthur, Bill and Charlie were setting up tables and chairs. She set her stack of plates down on the end of a table, with shaking arms. She felt overwhelming guilt at what she had spent the past week doing with Fred. Her heart ached at the betrayal of her bonded soulmate. She chewed her lip, trying and failing to look anywhere else but at Charlie. He felt her emotions and looked over with concern.
Just then, the twins popped into existence, just outside the gate. Molly exited the kitchen with a last platter of food and spotted them, "oh good! We're all here. Let's eat!" She motioned for everyone to sit.
Hermione shot a panicked looked at Fred before looking back at Charlie. Fred didn't react to seeing his big brother back at home. He merely walked to the table, turning his head slightly and whispering something to George.
Hermione pulled a chair out next to Harry on the opposite end of the table from where Charlie stood. Her emotions were betraying everything to him. He stood rigidly beside the table, jaw clenched and looking at her. No emotion shone on his face but she could feel a blinding rage building.
George walked right up to Charlie and slapped a hand on his shoulder, "hiya brother. I didn't hear that you'd be here." He said with a grin, tilting his head toward him. Charlie blinked and noticed the missing ear, it successfully snapped him back out of it.
"Bloody hell, George. What?" He gaped.
George pulled the chair out next to Charlie and sat, Charlie followed suit. "Never wrestle a hippogriff, mate." George said, shaking his head.
Hermione looked down at her plate, she was mortified. What the fuck was she thinking? That she and Fred could have whatever they wanted? With no repercussions? What a stupid fucking idiotic selfish person she was. She scooped small spoonfuls of whatever dishes were nearest to her and pretended to eat. She kept her eyes on her plate. She didn't want to turn to talk to Harry because then she would see Charlie. She bit her cheek so hard she tasted blood. Her entire body was trembling. She pretended she was cold when Harry asked about it.
After dinner, Molly brought out the snitch cake she had made for Harry's birthday. They sang for him and cheered. Fleur gave everyone instructions for the wedding day, what time to be there, what jobs they had to do. What to wear. Etc. Hermione heard next to none of it. She had to focus on breathing and willing her heart to slow. She tried to give zero allowance for any emotions to take root.
She hastened to help clean up the tables and carry dishes inside. She didn't look at or speak to Fred. He followed her lead outside around the others. But as everyone separated once cleanup was done, Fred caught her hand and pulled her quickly behind the shed.
She panicked because Charlie could find out, and then double panicked as she realized Charlie would notice the first panic. She shoved Fred away from her, eyes wild. "Stop it, Fred. We shouldn't have... he could... you..." she couldn't breathe.
"Hey, whoa, it's ok, love." He tried to soothe her, unsure of what was happening. He'd only meant to kiss her goodnight and to tell her he didn't expect her to come to his place while Charlie was here. He was thrown backward suddenly and slammed into the ground. Charlie punched his fist into Fred's nose once, before turning to her. She felt the blinding rage from earlier. He looked between her and Fred who was holding his nose, blood gushing down his mouth and chin. Then, Charlie grabbed her elbow and yanked her along to the outside of the boundary. Hermione glanced over her shoulder at Fred, he stumbled to his feet, wiping blood from his chin with his forearm as he tried to run after them. He shouted at them but Charlie pulled her past the gate and apparated her away.
They reappeared in another hotel room. Her knees gave out and he set her gently on the edge of the bed before he walked away, pacing angrily, breathing heavily.
She trembled with shame and sadness. Waiting for him to talk. Finally he stopped in front of her, he clenched his hands in fists at his sides. "Why the fuck do you smell like him?" He managed to grind out between his teeth.
She looked up at him, pouring all the sorrow she could in apology out at him. She didn't say anything. A lamp exploded behind her and she squeezed her eyes shut, but she didn't move. His magic protected her from any shards of ceramic and glass.
He paced again, carding his hands through his hair. He waved his wand and the lamp righted itself. He leaned his back against the wall directly across from her and slid down to the floor, resting his forearms on his knees and focused on breathing.
Finally he spoke again. "I'm not angry about this, I'm really not. I'm trying not to be. It's none of my business. You can do whatever you want. Seriously. I know all of these things. I'm trying so hard." He covered his head with his hands, inhaling and exhaling slowly.
Hermione wanted so badly to make him feel better, she felt like such a piece of trash for betraying him like that. She stood to walk over to him, to kneel before him and take his hands. To comfort him. But before she could even take a step, Charlie said "don't you fucking dare, sit back down." She immediately sat down. A wave of disgust washed over him. He growled. "I'm not trying to order you around. Just ... stay over there. You don't need to comfort me. You didn't do anything wrong." He exhaled and pressed his head into the wall, dropping his hands to his sides. He seemed to feel calmer. "You can go back. I'm sorry I took you. I should not have done that. Mum and dad will understand. Tell them I'll stay here until the wedding."
She felt an irrational sense of hurt, like he didn't want to be near her now that she had sullied herself with someone else. He growled and shook his head as he felt it from her. But he said nothing. She stood again, finally speaking. "You should be with your family, with your brother, for his wedding. I'll find somewhere else to be. I don't want to ruin this occasion for you or them. Please." She knelt in front of him and took his hands in hers. A wave of comfort washed over both of them at the contact. He looked at their hands, rubbing his thumbs over her palms and wrists. She shivered.
He pulled his hands back to himself and sighed. He pinched the bridge of his nose. Her proximity was making his blood pump faster. She felt her own desire begin to grow. He stood abruptly and tried to walk to the other side of the room away from her but she grabbed his wrist before he could get out of reach. He turned to her and grabbed the back of her neck hungrily. Kissing her hard. She clutched his shirt tightly, opening up for him. This felt totally different than her times with Fred. This was need, this was soul filling. This was a drink of water when she was on the cusp of total dehydration. Fred was indulgence. Charlie was necessary for survival.
Charlie shoved her back abruptly. Breathing heavily. "Do you have your wand?" He asked. She nodded, pulling it out of her pocket. "Then go, now. Go back to the burrow." He put a hand on his hip and swiped the other down his face, covering his mouth. "GO." He commanded. She jumped for him, grabbing on and pulling him with her. She deposited him on the lawn outside the gate, and then apparated away again. She knew he wouldn't go back if she was there.
She reappeared in Fred's empty room. She didn't know where else to go. She stumbled out into the rest of the apartment, looking for the twins, but they must still be at the burrow, wondering where to look for her. If she contacted them, Charlie might know where she went and who knows if the bond would let him be ok with it. She walked shakily back to Fred's room and kicked her shoes off, she ripped off her clothes and pulled on one of his shirts. She pulled out a dreamless sleep from her beaded bag that she kept with her at all times now, and tipped the potion down her throat. She climbed under the covers and curled up around his pillow, waiting for the potion to take effect.
She was so grateful for Charlie's restraint. It showed so much care for her. She knew in reality he just wanted her to be happy. That he would give up the bond and his life if it meant she would live a free and happy life. But if he did that she would never be free and happy. She would always mourn him. Always feel guilty. She cried into Fred's pillow, begging the potion to work faster.
She woke slowly the next morning. The sun was streaming brightly through the sides of the curtains. She was curled up into Fred's side, both his arms surrounded her as he slept. She slid his top arm carefully off of her and rolled back, stretching.
"Morning, love." He whispered. His eyes stayed closed a few moments longer and she scooted close to him again and kissed his cheek. He smiled and opened his eyes. He looked at her sadly. "How are you?"
"I'm ok. How are you?" She touched his nose softly. There was slight bruising under his eyes, but it looked like it had already been healing for a week. Molly must have a salve.
"Never better." He winked, then he asked gently, "What happened? Charlie came running into the kitchen saying you'd gone. He was furious with himself. Nobody who didn't already know was there, don't worry."
She sighed. "He took me to a hotel room. He didn't touch me. It took him a bit to calm down. He said he hadn't wanted to hurt you or take me. But he could, smell us, on each other. And it made him furious. He said he knew it was the bond and was trying to shake it off. He said I should go back to the burrow and he would stay there. But I said he was supposed to be with his family, with his brother for his wedding. And that he should go back and I would stay somewhere else. He refused so I took him back and left. I came here because it's the only place I thought of. When you two still weren't home I took a dreamless and fell asleep. I'm sorry, I should have asked first."
"No, don't ever be sorry for coming here. You never need to ask." He stroked her arm with his fingers, reassuring her.
"I wasn't expecting him to be there last night, I mean I knew he would come soon, for the wedding. But I didn't know when. And the shock of him just showing up. And all those bond related feelings rushing back. I've been able to suppress a lot, being with you. It was... jarring. To have it all come back." She looked sadly at his chest, she couldn't meet his eyes.
"I'm sorry I pulled you aside like that. I only meant to tell you goodnight, and that I didn't expect you to come to me, not while he was there. I didn't expect such a quick reaction from him." He scrunched his nose a bit.
"I'm so sorry. That was my fault. I panicked that he would react that way and then panicked that he could feel my panic." She shook her head, burrowing it back into his shoulder and holding him tightly.
"Hush, it was not your fault. It's just a... weird ass thing we have to navigate now." He stroked her hair and back. "I'm so glad you came here. I was so worried when he came back without you." He kissed the top of her head and inhaled her scent deeply. "Listen, I'm not going to push you for anything. I want you to stay. I won't expect anything else. Don't leave, just talk to me. Ok? I'm here for you."
She nodded into his chest before she tilted her head up, she kissed his lips softly. A flash of Charlie's betrayed anger crossed her vision and she pulled back immediately. She grimaced and her heart wrenched in pain. "Thank you. I'm so sorry for all of this." She trembled in his arms.
"How about some breakfast?" He asked.
"Ok." She agreed quietly.
She had everything packed in her beaded bag ready to leave with Harry at any given moment. She kept her bag and wand with her at all times now. Fuck. She needed to go back and discuss their plan. They didn't have any contingencies planned for if they got separated. They really had no plan at all except that they had to hunt for the remaining horcruxes and a way to destroy them and they had to lay low and not get caught by any of voldemorts followers. The wedding was days away. Harry had promised to stay for that. She prayed that nothing would happen before then.
She showered and changed into her own clean clothes while Fred made eggs and bacon in the kitchen. It was late morning. George was already down in the store. After the nights she'd already spent here with Fred, this was the first time she'd been here during the day. She would have loved to be able to wake up and eat breakfast with Fred everyday. Now this moment was tainted with guilt and shame. She felt like a horrible person, to both Charlie and Fred. It wasn't fair to either of them.
"If it's alright with you, I should let mum know where you are. She was beside herself when she learned you had left. We won't tell anyone else if you don't want." Fred said, sipping a coffee.
Hermione swallowed her eggs. She was really only eating to be polite. And because Fred would worry. But it was difficult to force a whole plate down. "Yes that's fine. I don't think we should tell Charlie. If he knows where to find me... the bond will lead him here if he really wanted to. I think. I've only experienced it when we're near. But I don't want to provoke any other reactions." She stared at her fork. A few awkward moments passed.
"Want to help me inventory the latest shipment?" Fred asked. He cleared the plates and waved his wand to get them washing in the sink.
"Oh yes, that would be good." Some busy work to keep her mind occupied. She couldn't very well walk through Diagon anyway. And if she stayed cooped up in here alone, she would just lie around and sink into a depression.
They spent the next few days in a similar manner. She would help out with menial stock chores that kept her out of site and busy. She would sleep with Fred, but no sex. Just holding one another. She still couldn't even kiss him without feeling terrible. She hated it. These were their last moments together. Potentially forever.
The night before the wedding, Fred came into the room. Hermione was in pajamas, reading a book in bed. Fred shut the door behind him and just stood there, committing this moment to memory. The site of her sitting comfortably in his bed. He wanted that everyday, so badly it hurt. She looked up from her book, "hey." She said with a small smile.
"Hey." He crossed the tiny room and climbed under the covers next to her. She set her book aside and wrapped her arms around him. "I have something for you." He pulled a small drawstring bag from his pocket. "It's an international portkey. George and I bought a beach house in Mexico. It's not fideliused, but there's absolutely no way to track it to us. If you and Harry and Ron get into a bind and need a quick escape, I want you to use it."
She bit her lip, staring at the pouch in his hand. Tears welled up in her eyes and a lump formed in her throat.
"It will take you there as soon as you touch it." He continued. "I'll be notified if you use it. I'll come to you as soon as I can. George and I both have portkeys of our own. We might have to use it as a true safe house at some point. But for now, you, me and George are the only ones who can get to it."
She tucked the little pouch inside of her beaded bag, wiping the tears from her cheeks and sniffling. "Thank you, Fred. That is such a relief to have. You've no idea." Fred wrapped his arms tightly around her and held her close.
This was it. This was their last night together. They would go back to the burrow tomorrow and she would leave him and go with Harry and Ron and start their quest to find the horcruxes. She couldn't bear the thought of leaving him like this. With the bond hanging over them like a storm cloud. With the very great possibility of death finding her while she searched for a way to kill the darkest wizard alive.
She kissed him then, forcefully shoving all guilt and thoughts of Charlie out of her mind. She was crying uncontrollably now. Holding onto Fred like she might never do so again. "I love you so much." She sobbed. He had tears streaking his own cheeks and he kissed her back.
"I love you too. More than you know." He wiped the tears from her face and kissed her deeply. She needed him. Needed all of him one more time. She pulled the drawstring of his pants and plunged her hand in, kisses turning desperate. He groaned as she palmed him. He quickly divested both of them of all clothing and rolled onto her, she eagerly spread open for him. Time froze when he entered her. She held his head between her hands and pressed her forehead to his as they joined.
"I love you Fred." She whispered as he slid slowly out of her, then back in. "Fuck, I love you." This wasn't sex for pleasure or fun. This was desperate love-making. They poured all of their fears and all of their hopes into it. Begging the universe to bring them back together someday.
Afterward, her whole body trembled, and he held her in his arms until she calmed. They stayed like that for hours, not talking and not sleeping. Just holding one another. They drifted out of consciousness in the early morning hours.
The next day they flooed with George to the burrow at the time Fleur requested. The house was a flurry of activity. Molly shooed the twins upstairs to change into their dress robes. Hermione was already wearing her red dress. She wasn't part of the wedding party so she didn't have to wear anything specific. Ginny and Harry were in the kitchen, already in their designated wedding outfits.
Suddenly Arthur rushed into the house saying that the minister was there, wanting to speak with Harry, Ron and Hermione. He gave them the items from Dumbledore's will and Hermione realized the sword must be a way to destroy the horcruxes. Her mind was reeling. She was utterly focused on the new information and didn't even notice when Charlie was standing right next to her.
She was standing next to the large tent, the twins and Ron and a now polyjuiced Harry were ushering arriving guests. The seats were slowly filling up. Fred glanced over at her as he escorted an elderly aunt to her seat. She tried to give him a reassuring smile.
"Can we talk?" Charlie whispered to her. She was suddenly overwhelmed by the bond. All thoughts of horcruxes disappeared. She longed to wrap her arms around his neck and breathe in his scent.
His eyes darkened as he looked down at her, he felt her desires well up inside her. He cleared his throat.
"Charlie! Bill needs you, quickly!" Mrs Weasley rushed to them and shoved Charlie's shoulder toward the house.
Charlie groaned and marched up to the house, well aware that Bill didn't need him at all.
"You look lovely, dear. How are you?" Molly brushed at Hermione's sleeve affectionately.
"Fine, thank you, Mrs Weasley. The wedding is fabulous, you've done a beautiful job." Hermione gestured to the yard.
"Oh thank you, dear. It was quite the effort." Molly said, patting her hair to make sure it was still in place.
"Molly, zere iz an issue wiz ze bouquet." Fleur's mother rushed over and the two women bustled off to save the day.
Hermione settled into her seat then, admiring the beautiful decorations and the numerous guests. "Hello, May I sit next to you?" Victor Krum stood at the end of her isle.
"oh, Victor, hello. Lovely to see you." She stood and gave him a cordial hug. Fred was there in a moment.
"Krum, I have your seat right over here." Fred waved a seating chart in his hand and winked at her when Krum wasn't looking.
"Oh, vell, maybe ve can dance later. Ve are very good at it." Krum smiled at her. Fred rolled his eyes behind Krum and Hermione giggled at him.
"Yes, I'll save you a dance." She said. Krum followed Fred, thinking that she was giggling because she was excited to dance with him again.
The ceremony began shortly after. Ron and Harry were seated beside her. The twins behind them. Ginny and Gabrielle glided down the aisle in their golden dresses. Hermione watched them until they reach the front and then her eye caught Charlie's.
She was overwhelmed by his emotions just then. He wanted this. He wanted her to walk down the aisle toward him. He wanted to claim her in every way possible. Her breath caught in her throat. She had thought about walking down the aisle before, but Charlie wasn't the one standing at the end of it. She suddenly filled up with that guilt and shame. Charlie didn't ask for this either. He would gladly kill himself if she so much as thought about it. Just to free her. And she had fucked his brother not even 20 hours ago. She dropped her eyes to her feet in shame.
After the vows and the first kiss, they transformed the seating into tables around the tent, a dance floor in the middle. Hermione was so jealous of Bill and Fleur. They found each other and fell in love. And now they get to be together for the rest of their lives. That could have been her. She had dreamed about this being her and Fred since she was 12. The newly weds danced around the floor, beaming at each other with joy.
When they finished their first dances with each other and mums and dads, they opened the floor to the rest of the group. Krum was there immediately to claim her first dance. She shot a look at Fred as she took hold of Krum's hand and he led her to the floor. The twins were at a table with some Weasley uncles, laughing and drinking merrily together. Fred looked up at her, wiping tears of laughter from the corner of his eye and slapping a knee. When he saw Krum circle her waist with his arm and start twirling them around the dance floor, the laugh turned to a grimace.
She and Victor danced to one song, seamlessly again. He was a very good dancer. As the song came to an end, she felt Charlie's angry looming presence nearby. Krum asked for another dance but she declined politely, Charlie was there in an instant. He bowed and held his hand out to her. Krum looked annoyed and went off to find some of the Veela cousins that were around.
Charlie pulled her close to him and spun them around in an effortless waltz. "I'm staying here in England now, I've done as much as I could out there. I need to be here now, for mum. For you." He said quietly to her ear. She pulled back and looked up at him. He continued spinning them with the dance, squeezing her waist and he continued. "Ronnie said you three are off on some quest. He said you won't tell so I shouldn't ask. But..." he stopped them on the edge of the dance floor then, looking down at her.
She laid her hand on his chest, looking at him sadly. "I can't." She whispered.
"Then take me with you. Let me protect you." He pleaded. She shook her head, stepping back from him.
"May I cut in?" Fred was next to them now, smiling pleasantly for anyone else around to see.
Charlie felt a rush of anger before he took a breath and pushed it away. He leaned to her ear, "I love you, be safe. Come to me if you need me." He stroked her hand with his thumb and kissed her cheek chastely before stepping away. He walked over to Bill's table and poured himself a drink.
Fred circled her waist with his arm and took her hand, twirling them back into the crowd. Ron was dancing near them with Luna. She spotted Harry across the tent, in his polyjuiced form talking with an elderly wizard at a table.
Fred held her close. She rested her head on his shoulder as he twirled them. They made it a few minutes into a song before a patronus burst into the tent, warning them that the minister was dead and the death eaters were coming.
She started to panic, Fred crushed her mouth to his quickly. "I love you." He said, "GO." He shoved her toward Ron. She spun around searching for Harry. He shoved aside chairs rushing toward them. People were screaming and disapparating. Dark shadows started materializing in the crowd. She held Ron's hand tightly, reaching for Harry. She caught Fred's eye just as Harry's fingers closed around hers and she spun on her heels, disapparating them immediately.
They ran, they fought, they hid at Grimmauld. They learned everyone from the wedding was safe. Harry yelled at Lupin. They plotted and then infiltrated the ministry. They got the locket. They lost the house. They traversed the countryside, staying at a different location every night in the tent, scavenging for food. Ron left them.
She and Harry stood outside his parents grave on Christmas, disguised as a middle aged couple. They followed Bathilda Bagshot into her putrid house. Hermione stood in the living room as Harry walked upstairs with the old woman. She held onto the pouch in her pocket with one hand, her wand out and ready in the other. She kept the pouch at the ready at all times. They hadn't had to use it yet. They had been able to apparate away when they needed to, so far. But she wanted to be ready just in case.
She heard shuffling then crashing upstairs. She raced up and saw the giant snake, it was thrashing around, fangs sunk into Harry. Harry's wand lay snapped in half at her feet. She grabbed the pieces and sent a curse at the snake. Her spells rebounded around the room and the floor collapsed. She dropped her wand as she lunged for Harry, she dug her fingers into his side and plunged her other hand into the pouch, they were immediately whisked away spinning violently with the portkey. She dug her nails into Harry's skin deeper as she felt him slipping away.
Suddenly they dropped with a crash onto a white sandy beach. She was on top of Harry, her nails broken and bleeding as she clung to him. He was unconscious, she scrambled off of him and worked quickly to assess his injuries. She dripped dittany into his visible wounds and looked around wildly. Behind them was a small beach house, just past the tide line. She patted around for her wand before she remembered she had dropped it in the house when the snake was thrashing around. She pulled out Harry's wand halves, attempting a spell with them. Nothing happened. She tried to lift Harry or drag him but she wasn't strong enough to move him anywhere. She ran up to the house, the door opened easily for her. She walked quickly through the main floor, looking for something, anything to help her pull Harry up, maybe a blanket or a rug. Fuck why was she so weak without her wand.
A person appeared outside the window she ran past, he was down on the beach near Harry. She ran back outside.
"Fred!" She shrieked and ran down to him. He turned abruptly from his examination of the unconscious chosen one. She sprinted into his arms and started sobbing. He was in pajamas and slippers. She pulled away a second later. "Do you have your wand? Help me get Harry to the house."
Fred levitated him up carefully. "What happened? Where's your wand? What's wrong with Harry?" He asked.
She was shaking uncontrollably. The adrenaline from the immediate danger was wearing off and now she was going into shock. Fred set Harry on the sofa and turned to her. She burst into tears again. "Godrics... hollow... bathilda... snake..." she started to hyperventilate.
"Ok, ok, shh hang on. It's alright now." Fred took her hand and pulled her through the kitchen, he opened a cupboard filled with potions, he handed her a calming draught. She downed it quickly. It barely took the edge off.
She gazed at the rows of potions. Spotted blood replenishing and anti venom and took them off the shelf, walking back to Harry. She tipped the contents of both down his throat, massaging his throat so he would swallow. She dropped the empty vials onto a table near the couch and she collapsed onto her butt on the floor. She put her head between her knees and breathed deeply ten times.
She finally looked up. Fred knelt beside her, waiting. She could finally breathe. "We went to Godrics Hollow. Harry needed... he thought there might be something there... it was a trap. Bathilda Bagshot was dead, Vol-"
"STOP!" Fred shouted, clapping his palm over her mouth. "Don't say it! It's cursed. They can track whoever says it." Her eyes widened in horror. Fred let her go again. "Sorry. Go on." He said.
"His... his snake, it was inside her body, and Harry was alone with it. I ran to get him but the thing is huge and thrashing around. It snapped his wand and I lost mine in the shuffle. I was only able to grab him and your portkey in my pocket just in time. Literally, we saw him as we disappeared." She shivered as the realization of how close they were settled.
Fred checked Harry's pulse. "It seems normal. What should we do?"
"Let him rest. He's just unconscious I think. I stopped all the bleeding I could find and gave him those potions." She gestured to the empty vials on the floor next to them.
"Come with me then." Fred pulled her up and to the kitchen again. He gave her a glass of water, then walked her to the bathroom. He helped her strip out of her putrid clothing, covered in the smell of a weeks long dead old woman. He turned on the shower and helped her in. He set her bag on the counter and checked her pockets before he took the clothes back outside and burned them on the beach.
When he got back to her, she hadn't moved. She stood under the hot water, willing her body to stop shivering. He undressed and climbed in behind her. He washed her hair and her body for her. She let him. He wrapped her in a towel and dried her hair with his wand. He tied a towel around his waist and directed her toward a bedroom. He pulled a pair of his own boxer shorts and a tshirt out of a drawer and knelt at her feet, lifting them up one at a time. He helped her stand and pulled the shorts up over her bum. He took the towel and pulled the shirt over her head. Then he settled her under the crisp white duvet.
"Do you want a dreamless sleep?" He asked.
She shot up in a panic, "No! No I have to keep watch. Harry's unconscious, I didn't cast any wards around us." She attempted to rush out of the bed but Fred held her waist firmly.
"Hermione, calm down. You're alright. There are wards around us already. Nobody knows where you are except me. We're halfway across the world now." He assured her in a calm voice. "I will keep watch. You rest. You need to recover before you can do anything. Ok?"
Looking into his eyes calmed her, she nodded. "Ok. Sorry. I... we have a routine. A protocol. We've been traveling in the tent. I set wards. We take watch. I'm sorry." She gasped as she remembered the locket. She pushed Fred back and ran out to Harry, reached under his shirt. She pulled it off gently and put it around her own neck. Shivering at the despair that settled around her with it.
Fred watched her carefully nearby. "Ok." She sighed. "I'll take the potion and sleep." He summoned one from the cupboard and opened it for her. "If Harry asks, I have it." She tapped the locket gently for Fred to see before tucking it under her shirt. Fred nodded that he understood and held the potion out for her. She downed it and then handed him the empty vial, walking back to the bed. She climbed under the covers and laid her head on the pillow, Fred sat beside her and held her hand. "Your house is beautiful." She breathed as she slipped out of consciousness.
She woke to bright sunlight about ten hours later. She was alone in the bedroom. She could hear the ocean outside the open window, a gentle breeze blew through sheer curtains. She sat up and remembered all the events leading up to them coming here. Her wand was gone now. And she was pretty sure Harry's wasn't reparable. If they hadn't had Fred's portkey...
She heard low voices outside of the room and she stood silently and walked to the door.
"They raided the joke shop?"
"Yeah, after they found out you used our decoy detonators at the ministry."
"Shit, Fred. I'm so sorry. I didn't think..."
"Nah, don't be."
Hermione peeked around the door and saw Fred in the kitchen, frying up some bacon. He waved off Harry's apology.
"We would have gotten shut down for less. It was only a matter of time. The kids at hogwarts were putting in huge orders to fuck with Snape and the Carrows. We were running out of ways to hide the shipments. They had been watching us for weeks."
Hermione stepped out of the room finally and joined Harry on the sofa.
"We've been in hiding with the order and the rest of the family now, broadcasting over the radio. Looking for muggleborns who are on the run. There are snatchers everywhere, rounding them up, turning them in for reward money." He stopped talking when he saw Hermione.
"Is Ron ok? Have you seen him?" She looked between Harry and Fred, sure they'd already talked about Ron while she slept.
"Yeah." Fred said, "he's at Bill's. He's safe."
"They've made Bill's place a safe house under the fidelius. For the Order." Harry offered up the information to her. She nodded, grateful.
"How do you feel?" She asked him. The locket hung heavily against her chest, she rubbed at it, taking a deep breath. Harry reached over and pulled it off of her, setting it on the sofa table. They both stared at it with hatred and disgust.
"I'm fine. Thanks to you." Harry squeezed her hand. She set her head on his shoulder and they just sat for a moment. The first feeling of peace and safety they'd had since leaving Grimmauld.
Fred brought over a plate full of bacon and two steaming mugs of tea. "Toast?" He asked, eyeing the locket.
"yes please." Harry said as he dug in. They were starved.
Hermione picked up her tea and walked to the back door, looking out at the beach and the bright blue water. She took a sip. She turned back to see Fred leaning against the counter next to the toaster, his arms crossed and watching her closely.
Harry broke the moment as he spoke with a mouthful of bacon. "How do we get back?"
Hermione's stomach dropped. She knows they need to go back. She knows their job isn't done. But she absolutely dreads going back right now.
She glanced at Fred with a worried look before answering carefully. "Harry, I think we should wait a bit." Harry snapped his head up to look at her and argue. She continued quickly. "We don't have wands, we don't have the sword, we don't have any other leads. I think we should wait a couple of days at least. Regroup, restock, make a plan." She begged him to listen to reason.
Harry stopped eating and sat back, looking at her incredulously. "We have to go back, now. Didn't you hear Fred? They're rounding up muggleborns. The only way to end this is for us to finish it. The longer we wait, the more people get hurt."
"I know! I know Harry. I feel the urgency too, I do." She rushed to his side and set the tea on the table, taking his hand. "I'm just completely out of options, out of ideas. Please. We need just a few days. If we go back now, they'll catch us so fast. We need a plan."
Harry squeezed her hand and stared at the locket. He groaned and dropped his head to his hands over his knees. "I hear you. I know you're right. I just feel so much responsibility to end this. And so much anger at Dumbledore. For leaving us with nothing."
Hermione stroked her hand through the hair at his neck, soothing him the best she could. She cleared her throat. "Harry, I took something, from Bathilda's home." She wasn't sure she should give this to him. But she thought he needed to see it. She pulled Skeeter's book out of her beaded bag and set it on the table before him. "I thought, maybe it could help us understand him. Maybe there's something... I don't know. Remember she's batshit crazy. And makes almost everything up."
Harry picked up the book slowly, he flipped through it, noting Rita's note to Bathilda on the cover. He sighed. "Thanks. I'll take a look." He set it aside and continued eating. She looked back at Fred who was still watching them, brow furrowed. The toast popped up and he arranged a plate, bringing it to them.
"I do have a return portkey, it will take us to the shop. Which will be monitored closely. When you're ready to go back, it will take some careful planning to avoid getting caught in the middle of Diagon."
Harry nodded, "thanks, mate. You saved our lives with this. Really."
Fred just nodded. Hermione wiped the tears from her cheeks as she thought once again of getting caught by Voldemort in Godrics hollow. They would be dead by now for certain.
After she ate a piece of toast and bacon she wandered back to the window. "Want to go for a walk?" Fred asked her, he'd quietly stepped up next to her, watching the waves and the palm trees swaying.
"Yes, please." She said. Harry told them to go without him and he took the Dumbledore book to the porch, sitting in a white weathered rocking chair and opening it up.
She took Fred's hand and walked with him down through a short path to the beach. "Where are we?" She asked, looking around. She couldn't see another house or person along the beach.
"Mainland Mexico, in the Yucatán. There aren't any roads to our house or this beach. Muggles can really only get to it by boat. The house was built by an American wizard. We found it through American wizarding property sales. We paid cash and gave them a fake German name under polyjuice. Right after Dumbledore died. We thought we might all need a place to disappear to. The ownership magic is bound to us by blood though."
About a mile down the beach she got tired and Fred conjured a blanket and shade umbrella. They sat watching the waves crash onto a rocky spot just past the beach. "I feel like I'm in a dream." She said softly, hugging her knees. "This doesn't seem real."
Fred leaned over then, placed his palm on her cheek and pulled her to him, kissing her softly. "It's real." He whispered to her lips.
She kissed him back for a moment before she began sobbing. He held her to him and laid back on the blanket, stroking her arm and squeezing her tightly. "I'm so afraid we won't make it out of this." She confessed to his chest between sobs.
"Shh, you will. Hermione." He took her chin gently and tipped her head up to look at him. "You will." He promised. "Evil doesn't win. It won't." He said sternly.
She kissed him then, wanted to borrow some of that hope that he had. She pushed him back and climbed over him, the kissing deepened, turned heated. She wanted something good for once. After months of losing and scrambling just to stay alive, she wanted to spend just a few moments in the arms of the man she loved. The fear that it could always be the last time pushed them both into frantic desire.
He held her face tenderly and leaned up to kiss her as she pulled his shorts down just enough for his cock to be free. Then she pulled the crotch of her loose boxers aside and slid onto him, she cried out in relief at being filled by him. They both finished together within minutes.
She laid on his shoulder with her fingers reached up stroking his hair and ear. "I love you, Fred." She said simply. Something had her certain she would die on this quest. A nagging feeling at the back of her mind. She wanted him to know how she truly felt. "I wanted to marry you." She traced his jaw and lower lip with her thumb as he looked down at her. "I wanted to have your babies and grow old with you." Tears slid down her cheeks at the dream she was certain would never be.
He turned to face her and held her tightly "I want that so badly." He whispered. "I would love nothing more than to meet you at the end of the aisle, take you as my wife. We'd have the best life ever." He said. "When this is over, I'm buying you whatever ring you want. We can go and live anywhere you want. I don't even care where. Just as long as you're with me." He promised her.
She stared sadly into his eyes. A dark ominous cloud of doubt hung over her. She couldn't let herself hope. Maybe it was the locket. That it had seeped into her soul after wearing it so long. She kissed him softly and told him she loved him again. She couldn't promise anything. She hoped he could find love after she was gone. It seemed completely impossible that she would survive.
They spent three days at the beach house, recuperating and planning. Harry refused to stay any longer. Hermione thought, that maybe if Harry wasn't there, she would stay there with Fred forever and hide. She felt hopeless about the horcrux hunt. It felt impossible to try and find every horcrux that Voldemort had ever made and hidden. He was the most powerful dark wizard of all time. And they hadn't even finished school. She wanted to give up and to hide here. Away from it all.
But on the third day, Harry insisted it was time. They were going to take the portkey to the shop, then apparate immediately to where Fred and George were hiding out. Find new wands. Then get back to the hunt.
Hermione paced back and forth, wringing her hands, going over the plan again. She had everything in her bag, including Harry's wand pieces. Harry wore the locket. Fred took the pouch with the portkey and unprighted it over the counter top, a seashell barely large enough for them all to get a finger on.
"We don't have wands." She repeated, turning and pacing again.
"We'll get them." Harry reassured. "And we have Fred. He has a wand. We're not helpless."
"What if someone is waiting in the shop and catches us?" She tries to stop the panic of the unknown from welling up inside her.
"Fred will stun them and then we will go." Harry said, nodding to Fred.
Fred gripped his wand and held it up. "I'm ready. It'll be fine, love." He held his hand out to her.
They'd spent every extra moment making love. They'd spend a bit of time with Harry, eating meals and coming up with the return plan. But Harry opted to be down at the beach, reading skeeter's book alone. And Hermione and Fred opted to spend that time in bed together. And the shower. And the bathtub.
"Ok." She took a deep breath. "Stay together. Hold on." She said. She took Fred's hand and then Harry's. Harry reached toward the portkey with his free hand. Fred kept his wand at the ready and reached for the portkey with the one holding Hermione's. They all had a finger ready.
"One, two, three." Harry counted down. They touched it at exactly the same time and spun through time and space, slamming down on the floor of Fred's apartment over the shop.
A wailing screech sounded all around them. Fred pulled her to her feet and held his wand out. They could hear shouting from the shop below. Harry jumped up and grabbed Fred's arm and they apparated away just before death eaters burst into the apartment.
They arrived at a run-down looking shack on the outskirts of a large forest. There were no roads or paths or buildings anywhere she could see. She collapsed in relief into Fred's arms. Harry walked to the shack and pulled the door open.
"It's empty." He said.
"shit. They must have moved." Fred followed, pulling Hermione along. He looked inside the shack himself. "We should go. If they left it means it wasn't safe."
He apparates them to a cliff near the sea. "Hang on. I've got to get Bill to let you in." He lets go of her hand and disappears behind the fidelius charm hiding shell cottage. A moment later he returns with Bill in tow, and...
"Ron!" Harry shouts.
Ron runs to Harry first, throwing his arms around him and apologizing. Then he turns to hermione. "I am so sorry. I should never have left. I knew it was a mistake as soon as I did. It's that damn locket. It affects me worse than you two. I don't know why I can't handle it." She assesses him for a minute. Not ready to fully forgive him. But she nods in understanding.
They spend a week at the cottage, catching up on all the news, learning about the twins radio channel. They get the new wands that Ron lifted off some snatchers. They practice making them work. They try to make a plan.
Hermione and Fred spend a last night together in a tiny room in the second floor of the cottage. Fred assures her that she will make it out of this alive, that they'll figure everything out and beat Voldemort. That they'll have the future they dream of. They don't sleep at all.
The sun slowly brightens the room. She's lying side by side with Fred, their naked bodies entwined. She glides her nails gently along his skin, his neck, his shoulders, his backside. He blinks sleepily at her and squeezes her tightly to him.
"How will I find you again?" He whispers. He already offered to go with. But Harry refused. This task was theirs alone. When Hermione didn't protest or ask him to come, Fred didn't offer again.
"I don't know." She admitted. George had the only other portkeys to the beach house and he hadn't checked in with the order yet.
"Well, you know where this is now, if you get into a bind, come here." He suggested.
"I will." She promised. She kissed him then, pouring all she could into it. As if she hadn't already given him enough during their last week and a half together. "I love you. Please be safe." She begged him.
"No, you." He smiled. She pinched his backside playfully and he laughed, rolling them over, pulling her on top. He threaded his fingers through her wild messy curls and pulled her to him. "I love you, Hermione Granger. Come back to me." He whispered.
She promised him that she would.